Je te Déteste
by N.M.Marquette
Summary: A demon with an unknown agenda has appeared and the Spirit Team steps in to stop what they think is another crazy dooms day plan. Unfortunately, stopping that plan involves protecting a girl who not only has enough arrogance to rival Suzuki but whose only concern in life is the fulfillment of her own desires. If that's the case, how easily are her loyalties swayed? OCx? LEMONS.
1. Chapter 1

**Authors Note:**

Dearest Readers,

Are you surprised? I'm actually writing another fanfiction after all these years! I don't even think that half of the people subscribed to my updates are active on ffnet anymore, which is just too sad! Ah, the memories I have with some of you! If there _do_ happen to be any reading this story that were following "_Learning to Smile_"...Yes, I did delete it. No, I am not going to be editing and re-uploading it. There's a sob story involved with my laptop crashing and loosing it's chapters and trying to rewrite it but life getting in the way; however, let's skip that and just give the dernière raison which is that I'm just not feeling the story anymore. There is good news though! I am in the process of editing "_The Tree_". While there are definitely some cheesy moments and horrible cliches in that story that _should_ make me want to delete it as well, it was not only my first fanfiction but first completed one; therefore, I am very proud of it even with all its shortcomings. Still, there are some unforgivable and foolish grammatical errors in it that need attention before I start to work on the promised sequel. Yes, I am actually going to be writing it! Although the actual idea for the sequels story line has changed dramatically. Go figure, it has been seven years! To think I wrote "_The Tree_" when I was a Sophomore in high school... Ugh, I am so old now.

In regards to this story there will be a few pairings involving my _OC_, some very direct relationships but also some implied, yet I will not disclose the définitif couple as it would ruin the suspense. Although, if I am to be honest with myself, I am sure it will become obvious fairly quick anyways. There will be implications of _Yusuke/Keiko_ and _Yukina/Kuwabara_ but their relationships will not be gone into much detail as they do not hold much significance to the actual story line. In regards to romanticism, you should be aware that I am not an author who feels the need to pair everyone off be it canon character or otherwise. Also, I'm a person who reads far too much erotica and books that are of a more sexually explicit nature so this story will have an intense amount of sex and references to it. There will also be a significant amount of coarse language. Apologies will not be given if people find these things become too much as I have warned you all in advance.

As for other languages used throughout the story, such as terms in French or Japanese, I will try to place the translations within the text of the story or i.e. turn the translations into part of whatever is going on. Unless the words are obvious of course, such as "gomen" or "merci". Before I had a better grasp on Japanese, I remember reading stories that had almost full conversations in Japanese with the translations were posted at the end and finding it rather tedious, taking much away from the actual story for me. So since my story is posted in the "English" section, I will write predominately in English with only a statement saying when speakers are using other languages.

Speaking of translations though, let us take a minute to talk about the title. It is in French and is pronounced "juh tuh daytest" meaning "I hate you." While it is common to joke about "hating" a person in English, or at least the U.S.A. , that is not exactly the case in France. To say "je te déteste" to someone is an extremely rude and taken as an insult. How this ties into the story will be seen as time goes on.

Last but not least, this first chapter only has a brief mention of the actual _YYH_ characters so try and get through it. You can definitely skip ahead to the second chapter, which is much more _YYH_centric, but then you would miss getting to know my OC and I can't promise that won't make things a bit confusing.

Until Next Time,

_N. M. M._

* * *

Disclaimers: I do not claim right to Yu Yu Hakusho or any affiliation to the recognizable places mentioned, such as The Crumpet Shop.

* * *

**Je te Déteste**

_Chapter One_

"One, two, and pop, and turn. Doing great so far-"

_If great and awful are synonyms. Make it sharper! _

"Drop and turn-"

_Faster!_

"Speed it up a bit if you can. Kick, twist up, one, two-"

_Seriously though, pick up the pace! _

"Ok, swing in now. Three, and four, and spin, and pose! That was great!"

_I think that was worst than the last time. Leave it to them to render the theory that practice makes perfect null and void._

"Take five and then we'll go through the routine again. Just one last time before you go," she said in a believably peppy voice, not betraying her inner frustration. Upon seeing the discouraged looks gracing certain faces and groans having already resounded from her students after the words 'go through routine again' passed her lips , she quickly added,

"You girls have improved so much and that was awesome! I can't shake off the feeling that one more run through would make it beyond perfect!" Her voice was kept light reflecting the carefully practiced bright smile adorning her face. She received a few tired but proud smiles, as well as a couple vocalized agreements, in return and she mentally patted herself on the back for saying just the right thing to give the necessary confidence boosts. Sadly her self satisfaction only lasted momentarily;

"Aww, c'mon Em. That last run was great, just let 'em go! You've already gone over by ten minutes anyways."

Emi turned quickly to glare at her business partner as many of the girls bounced up from where they had previously been lying uncouthly on the studios wooden floor . Quickly, and what they hoped was discreetly, they checked their reflections in the mirrors lining the wall in front of them, straightening out their hair and clothes and breaking into stretches. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the display but lost out to a frown, even though she knew she shouldn't judge the girls for their little crush on him. Hell, she had been there herself before.

Charles was not only pleasant to the eye with his dark black eyes and tawny brown hair, six foot two lean yet buff dancers body and smooth sun kissed skin, he was also blessed with a personality that could only be described as perfectly charming. At least to those that don't know him well; however, once a person spends a significant amount of time with him, it becomes apparent that what seems like light-hearted teasing is actually his way of being brutally honest and that the only thing that gets his full attention or time for more than a five minute increment, not including mirrors, is dance. Relationships with people are not just at the bottom of his priority list, they're completely absent. Oh sure he's an awesome teacher and his students adore him but he probably couldn't name even half of them, though the majority have been taking classes from him for years. There's a reason every other person was "Kid", "Bro", "Hun", and "Little Lady". Yet most are blinded by his suave behavior and don't even recognize that he never addresses anyone by name. Emi had no doubts that the only reason she was graced with an acknowledgment of hers was because of his need of her to keep the studio going. Well, that and maybe the fact they occasionally indulge in a round of sex, in which regards Charles was a more than satisfactory partner. Not that he wasn't a good business partner, she wouldn't have bought into a dance studio with anyone else, but he did have the tendency to over step and add what Emi had dubbed as 'authoritative commentary' to her classes. As he was presently doing.

He had moved from casually leaning against the entrances door frame to standing beside Emi with his arms crossed and was looking down at her, his eyes sparkling with amusement. Or maybe it was anticipation. It was hard to decipher the difference with him. Her students were looking at her too, in expectation, waiting for her response to Charles suggestion. She sighed but then put on another false smile and agreed, not willing to be made into the bad guy if she didn't. Her students quickly filed out, their grateful smiles clearly meant for the other instructor instead of her.

_Humph. See if I give you any leeway next week, you brats. _

The room was cleared in minutes and Charles immediately closed the small space between their bodies, wrapping one arm around her shoulders and resting his chin on her head. To most this would seem a romantic act of familiarity but Emi knew that he only did it because he was aware of how much it annoyed her. She wasn't one who hated to be cuddled, but when it was only a means to an end or in other words a man trying to use the comfortable closeness of cuddling to get an easier lay, then it was just irritating. If a person wants to have sex then they should just come out and say it, no need to pretend that you have deeper feelings than you do. She couldn't speak for other girls but in her opinion, women had sexual needs too and if you find yourself mutually attracted to someone then there was no harm nor shame in taking pleasure from each other, even without an emotional connection. Maybe especially so. It was just pure pleasure then. You don't have to worry about the others feelings which means you not only are able to skip pretending that your enjoying something when your not, you can be more vocal about what you want and do enjoy. It's much more give and take that way.

"You feel like coming to my place tonight?"

Emi shrugged his arm off of her, about to say no, only to have him wrap both arms around her sliding one hand underneath her black sports bra to rest his palm on her left nipple and the other down into her over sized gray sweats, cupping her front briefly before using a finger to trace and massage in the fold.

"I've always liked that you don't wear underwear when you dance," he murmured in her ear before licking the shell, slowly going down her neck and to her collar bone, where he grazed lightly with his teeth. She could feel his hardness pressed into the small of her back and couldn't control how breathy her voice was when she responded honestly,

"They just make my ass sweat more."

He didn't acknowledge her reply instead continued on with the ministrations his mouth was giving, starting to nip and suck harder along her neck.

_The ass hat is going to leave marks if he keeps going on like that... he knows I have a toddler class tomorrow... _

The thought about dealing with nosy parents was enough to raise her ire and dim the titillating waves working their way through her body. She didn't know when she had closed her eyes, maybe when he started pinching her nipple the way she liked, but when she opened them prepared to protest his advancement she caught sight of their image in the mirrors and her desire surged again.

* * *

They never made it to Charles apartment but it was just as well, Emi had no desire to have to wake up at the ass crack of dawn, which she would undoubtedly be subject to at his place. He didn't like people in his space when he wasn't there and it just so happens that he wakes up at five every morning without fail, to literally run to the gym where he lifts for half an hour before running the 4 miles home to go back to sleep. She doesn't share his love of running in the morning nor of lifting weights so early, so when she does spend the night she usually just drags herself to her car and drives home when he kicks her out. Not that she spends the night there often. On the contrary. Their little escapades are far and few between, both having others to turn to when they had need. And as a rule she had much more of a need, much more often, than he did. Tonight had been a surprise. A very pleasant one. Plus being able to watch themselves as they were going, in the mirrors, was definitely the highlight of her night. They looked amazing while giving each other pleasure and she was sure he thought so too. She knew he was watching as well, their eyes kept meeting through their reflections.

She was actually a lot like Charles. Not the charming Charles the world sees but the actual Charles that was quite narcissistic, selfish, and single-minded. And that was probably why she found him so irritating yet so easy to be around. She was slightly more attentive to other peoples feelings and personality nuances than he, but her seemingly kind receptiveness and empathy was complete bull shit. Because of her misleading behavior people tended to think of her as a positive, upbeat, the-glass-is-half-full kind of girl. Someone who you could rely on to cheer you up when you were upset and share your sorrow with. The truth of the matter is that Emi was just good with words. She knew what to say to who and when, to get what she wanted. Whether it be to one of her students to give them more confidence in their dancing ability, non existent as it often is, so that they keep signing up for classes and keep income coming to the studio. Or to her sister, who's much more emotionally needy than Emi is, so that the weekly cheer-me-up phone call would only last ten minutes instead of an ungodly hour or more. Combining her silver tongue with her ability to correspondingly school her expressions, she was able to fool the world. She probably could have been quite the successful actress and had done well with theater in school, but honestly it just didn't hold the appeal to her that dancing did.

Dancing was akin to sex for Emi. It was something that she was not only good at but something she felt beautiful while doing and that left her body in that pleasantly tired yet satisfied state. When she started ballet lessons at twelve, later than what is common, she had aspired to be a Prima Ballerina in at least one of the worlds major dance companies much like most other little girls that take ballet. As she got older though her love strayed farther away from classical dance and she found more pleasure in contemporary styles, even though she still continued on with ballet due to her parents heavy insistence.

After she graduated from high school they handed over access to the savings account they had been keeping for her as she was growing up, much to their chagrin as they would later on find out, eager to see her start the bright and successful future they were always telling her she would have. They told her so often it felt like they were shoving this nameless future down her throat. She of course did what was logical after receiving the account and opted to displease her parents into disowning her by not attending any sort of University or even auditioning for a dance company. Instead she flashed them the peace sign, although she was tempted to give them the finger instead, chose a random destination and caught the greyhound.

She bounced around from state to state for a couple years, and even into Canada for awhile, teaching workshops at various studios for quick cash so that she didn't deplete the savings. That's how she ended up meeting Charles and the studios previous owner Matt. Long story short, Matt was moving back to his home town of New Orleans and was going to shut down the studio. Some how or another Charles ended up convincing her to go half and half to purchase the place, and now three years later they were still up and running.

Seattle was a nice enough place, at least for someone who doesn't exactly have preference for any city or state she had traveled to. Places were just like people to Emi. She doesn't have an real feelings or attachments to them and they are, in a sense, expendable. The only place she feels strongly about is Spencer, West Virginia. After spending eighteen years of her life there, an eternity from now would be too soon a time to visit. Plus, she has the feeling that the second she were to set a toe in the state an alarm would go off notifying her parents and they would send the national guard to escort her out. Well that doesn't matter, she really isn't planning on leaving the state of Washington any time soon anyways as she is completely comfortable with her current arrangements. She has a decent sized studio apartment near downtown which she keeps so under decorated it looks as if, instead of someone living there everyday, someone had ran out on the lease and left behind a bed and some clothes in the closet. The apartment was set up as one large room, with the bathroom being the only separate space. When you walk in the wall to your left is lined with white cabinets and black counter top, a stainless steel fridge and electric stove, making up the kitchen space. The far side from the door has a wall made entirely of large glass windows, which Emi had never adorned with coverings. After all if people wanted to look, let them look. The wall across from the kitchen was stark white, as really all the walls were, and had the only furniture in the apartment pushed up against it, her king sized bed, which had a mountain of pillows in mismatched pillowcases and a rather old faded black down comforter covering much newer black satin sheets. The last wall, which happened to be where the door was located, also housed a decent sized walk-in closet and the door to the small bathroom. The bathroom was by far Emi's favorite place in the apartment. While the sink and toilet were obnoxiously close together, one could practically brush their teeth whilst relieving their self, the fact that three of the four walls were practically made of mirrors made up for it. Emi had even hung a mirror above the bathtub, which sadly became clouded when she showered because of the steam, so that when she soaked she could look up and watch herself.

Looking above she traced her nipples with both hands, watching them pucker, then slowly trailed one hand down her smooth and tight stomach. Her navel was pierced with a plain dangling silver star belly ring which she stopped to flick briefly before letting her hand trail lower to where she was waxed completely. As she touched herself she watched her expressions; delighting in the way her stormy grayish blue eyes widened when she massaged more sensitive spots and the way her head rolled back whilst she let out unrestrained moans. She pictured her mirrored self coming down and exchanging touches with her, her images wet hip length and ginger red hair forming a curtain around them as she leaned over her. If only she really could sleep with herself. It would probably be the best sex she could ever have.

She blamed her vanity on her being a dancer, as they were forced to look and analyze themselves more often than the average person would have to, and when a person looks in a mirror they either like what they see or they don't. Since its necessary to have confidence to be a good dancer, it only makes sense that Emi definitely enjoys what she sees. Dancing for so many years had left her rather svelte, her arms and stomach having slightly defined muscles. She was graced with a decent height of five foot seven and was evenly proportioned although her fingers are spindly and far too long for her own hands and her chest was rather small. Though some would say she was too pale, she felt she had a decent complexion and since her hair wasn't natural, it had been abused and every other shade possible over the years, she didn't suffer from the freckles natural red heads tend to. But these were all just Emi's opinions on her appearance, perhaps others saw her far less perfect then she saw herself. Of course, how they could possibly do that completely escaped her thoughts.

She stretched as she yawned, muttering to herself , "So frickin tired. The hell Charles thinks he was doing that at the studio-"

_Did we have the doors locked before we...? _

She shook her head, cheeks flushed, at the thought of a student coming back and walking in on them.

Getting out of the tub, slightly wrinkled from having soaked too long, she climbed into bed naked after half heartedly drying herself and succumbed to slumber almost instantly.

* * *

She didn't wake until fifteen after eleven the next day and had to hurry to get to the studio on time for her twelve thirty toddler class. It took her ten minutes to brush her teeth and get dressed. She had she put on what she normally wears when she has to teach; hot pink baggy sweat pants, the top rolled on her hips so the legs didn't drag, a tight white wife beater over a white sports bra, and black high tops. She crossed her slate gray leather messenger bag across her body as she ran out the door, barely remembering to grab her favorite fitted gray Angora cardigan, with white pearl like buttons, in case it was cool. There hadn't been time to check what the weather was going to be like, so for all she knew they were going to experience a blizzard in June. The only thing she could count on weather wise was wet. And that was a given any day of the week in Seattle no matter the time of year.

Sure enough it started pouring as soon as she parked on the street near _The Crumpet Shop_, where she gets coffee at every day. The shop specialized in tea's and obviously crumpets but their coffee was to die for and Emi couldn't last a day without a cup of it. Right now she was cursing its downtown location and lack of drive-thru, as well as her stupidity of forgetting her umbrella at the studio yesterday.

_You would think I would learn to keep an extra in my car._

She ran her hand through her hair in annoyance and realized she had forgotten to brush it when her fingers became trapped in the snarls.

_Damn it._

After glancing in her rear view mirror and deciding that it didn't look nearly as tangled as it felt but rather 'bed-head-wavy', she shrugged on her sweater not bothering to roll the sleeves that reached her knuckles and grabbed her wallet out of her purse. There was no point in lugging the whole bag as she ran in and out, she might as well just leave it under the black trench coat on the passenger side. She probably should put on the coat to keep her clothes dry but that would just take more time and would contrast oddly against her far less sophisticated outfit. She usually wore it with a dress underneath and pumps, for going out. When she didn't have to dress for comfort and performance, which wasn't often, her style was best described as minimalist chic; neutral colors with simple accents meeting the latest trends.

Even though she had only parked a third of a block down and had dashed madly to the cafe, she was thoroughly soaked by the time she made it through the door. She cast an apologetic glance at Robin when she caught his eye over the counter which he responded to by shaking his head, a smile adorning his wrinkling face.

_Oh my god, look at the line! _

It wasn't uncommon for the cafe to be busy, it was nationally famous after all. In addition to the local regulars, there were always hoards of tourists going in and out. But today it seemed excessively packed.

_I guess it is summer_. _But did the whole world decide to vacation in Seattle this year? _

There was an unusual amount of languages being thrown about yet she couldn't identify any besides Spanish and English, although she honestly wasn't trying to hard to discern them either. She smirked as she saw Robins new hire trying to decipher what the Asian group at the front of the line was trying to order. The poor girl was undeniably cute being on the shorter side, at least significantly shorter then Emi, with a rounder build and heart shaped face. She wasn't fat by any means but there was some meat on her bones in addition to her generous curves. Her green eyes were filled with nervousness and she kept on re-tucking the pieces of her chestnut hair, that were too short to be pulled into her side ponytail but too long to be part of her bangs, behind her ear. The girls name escaped Emi, even though she had read it on her name tag multiple times in the past week. It wasn't important though as the girl probably wouldn't stay past the summer and Emi knew Robin and his wife well enough to get discounts and "special treatment", without sucking up to all their employees. The girls face was getting flushed now and she was chewing her bottom lip, still unable to get the order of the customers in front of her. Said customers were starting to look a little frazzled themselves, especially the one with greased back hair. His voice was raising with each word while the woman with him, who had shockingly blue hair, patted his back wearing a nervous but cheerful expression.

_This is taking forever._

Just as the thought crossed her mind, Emi was bumped as someone dashed past her mumbling a soft "excuse me." The man that bumped her made had made his way to the front of the line and was currently translating, much to the relief of the cashier, for the odd looking pair. He was also rather odd looking, at least in comparison to all other Asians Emi had seen, with long red hair that was reminiscent the Little Mermaid. Although she was one to support individuality when it came to style, she couldn't hold in a snort at the group. The really did look rather comical together.

_Ah, they're finally moving away from the register. Thank you, Ariel! Wait- why are you coming this way?_

The strange red head was making a beeline for her carrying not one but two cups of coffee and he put on a polite smile as his green eyes locked with hers. His gaze was abnormally intense. The feeling to look away was too strong to ignore and Emi mentally kicked herself for giving in to it. Normally direct eye contact was not something she shied away from but strove for as it was something that made other people feel uncomfortable and self aware, thus securing her dominance in every situation. She didn't feel very dominate right now and she couldn't place why.

"I have been told this is for you." His voice was smooth and pleasant, with only a hint of an accent. Emi took the cup he handed her and looked back up at him, he was surprisingly taller than her. Weren't Asians supposed to be on the shorter side? Her expression must have shown her confusion, which Emi quickly berated herself for, because he continued on to say;

"The man behind the counter asked me to bring this to the 'pretty ginger' at the end of the line."

"Oh. Well that explains it. Tell him I said 'thanks' and give him this," she had pulled a couple singles out of her wallet as she was talking and was now holding them out expectantly.

"You come here often."

"Every day," she agreed in a flat voice, trying to discourage conversation, even though his comment had been a statement not a question. She was still holding out the money.

"Is there anything you would recommend trying? Besides the coffee, of course. "

"Well, it's probably called '_The Crumpet Shop_' for a reason." Her voice had become clipped and her ire raised when she saw his smile widen marginally.

"Of course, but there are other items on the menu as well. You must have a-"

"Look, sorry but I can't really talk. I'm late for a class. Thanks for bringing me this," interrupting him she held up the coffee slightly and ducked her head in apology, ready to turn around and dash at the good bye she expected him to give. Instead he continued on, casually sipping the coffee held in one hand while the other was tucked casually in the pocket of his pants, his head quirked slightly to the side.

"Class? Are you a student then?"

"No."

"Ah. You must be the teacher then." Another statement, said in the same vaguely monotone voice. It's not that he didn't have any emotion in his voice, it just felt...feigned? Half way there? Yes, that is the right way to describe it. He didn't wait for an affirmation, "What is it you teach?"

Emi sighed, running her hand through her hair, "Dance. And you know what? I am seriously late for my class."

"How coincidental, my brothers girlfriend is a dancer. What kind of dance do you teach?"

_What the hell is with him? Is this-_

"-a fucking language barrier issue?"

"Pardon?"

Emi felt her face heat up, she hadn't meant to speak that last part out loud. He caught her gaze yet again , his eyes twinkling and his smile stretching to its full capacity. If she wasn't frustrated before, she was now officially pissed. The bastard was having fun with her! She snapped her mouth shut, having temporarily gaped in her embarrassment at her verbal slip, took the cash she was still holding and stuffed it into the neckline of his shirt before turning away and quickly storming out. She didn't hear one of his companions let out a low whistle followed by a laugh.

"Kurama you sure have a way with girls!"


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter Two_

For a human city, Seattle was rather pretty and although it was not as clean as the cities in Japan, it was still much cleaner than others he had seen being full of parks and other such ways to keep an aesthetically pleasing amount of nature around. Overall, the weather was quite bleak being rather cool for this time of year and was generally overcast, drizzling incessantly, but it reminded Kurama of certain forests in the Makai that he was particularly fond of. The fairly large population meant it had a slightly larger crime rate than average, for the country they were currently in that is, and so it was really no wonder the city was near a large portal to the Demon World, being an ideal habitat for many types of apparitions. In fact many of them have come to call it home in the last few years. Normally that fact was not thing of consequence, after all the screening process of those allowed to enter the human world was rather thorough, but currently it was making this present case much more challenging.

Since entering the city in the early morning, Kurama had followed ten different energy signatures and not one of them was the one Koenma sent them to find. They were not only harmless but all were completely legal as well, having the proper paperwork that allowed them into the Human World. If only they had been given more to go on! Then again, when had that ever been the way things went? And better yet, when had they ever let that deter them?

_Perhaps it is time to rejoin with Yusuke and Botan..._

There was the off chance they had more luck than he.

When they had been assigned this task a few hours ago, it had been early evening in Japan and Kurama had just gotten out of class. He was now in his third year of University, majoring in law, after taking off a year following the rescue of Koenma and destruction of the Barrier. He had worried his Mother greatly with the break, even though she feigned happiness at his taking a position in her husbands company. Originally he had thought it the best course of action as going to school and studying for a degree that would go to waste, not to mention the cost of tuition for Shiori, seemed frivolously pointless. It wasn't until a few months passed with him finding brochure after brochure of universities on his desk and placed between his folded clothes that he decided to pursue the full dream his human mother had planned for him. After all, her happiness was of the up most importance. Without it there would be no reason for him to continue living this human life.

Yusuke and Botan were the only others called to the Spirit World for the assignment, or rather Yusuke was called in by Botan who then stayed for the briefing and insisted on coming with. He was slightly surprised that Yusuke was called instead of Hiei, whose sentence of patrolling the borders to keep stray humans away from the Makai had ended over a year ago yet could still be found carrying on with the duty. Out of healthy respect, or perhaps even justifiable fear, no one asked the fire demon why. Kurama had the suspicion it had to do with a certain ice maiden that continued to dwell in the Human World, at Genkai's temple. Though he would vocalize otherwise, Hiei never truly minded being called in for missions as a change of pace from the borders usually satiated the slight blood lust he accumulated over time. Similarly, Yusuke welcomed the break missions gave from the his more normal side of life but they created a slight problem as he ran a ramen booth by himself and the assignments usually forced him to close for a few days at a time. Keiko used to try and run the booth when need arose, claiming it her responsibility as his "_finally"official_ fiance, but the demands of school made it too challenging in the long run. Like Kurama, she was studying law but she was only in her second year and attended a different school. The same school Kuwabara attended, in fact. Their university was just as prestigious as the one Kurama found himself attending and the idea of Kuwabara pulling his act together enough to get in.. well, the thought admittedly left Kurama rather flabbergasted. But proud. Yes, pride was definitely another feeling he associated with the Spirit Sword wielders success. While Kuwabara was still considered a part of the team, he wasn't what one might call an active member. It was rare for him to go on missions or participate in cases but not because Koenma decided against it. Vice versa in fact. Kuwabara had one day point blank told the entire Spirit Team that he was stepping back, to focus on school primarily, but had specified that should the need arise he would be more than willing to help. It was amazing how far he had come in the years. How far they had all come.

_But it seems there are also some things will never change._

At present he found himself in a busier and more closely built part of the city, in front of a small cafe of sorts, having previously been following the half-demons energy signature and although to the average ear the only sounds would be of the cars on the street and the crowd inside, Kurama could distinctly hear the frustrated voice of the detective.

"Whad'ya mean you don't understand me!" Yusuke was demanding of the girl behind the counter, in barely recognizable English. In fact, if Kurama hadn't known that was the language he was speaking than even he probably wouldn't have been able to decipher it.

"Now Yusuke, calm down! The girl is just trying to understand us!" Botan pleaded in Japanese before turning to the girl and trying to communicate their order more clearly yet failing miserably.

"We wouldn't have this problem if this damn bracelet Koenma gave us would work properly!" Yusuke glared down at the offending, and rather gaudy, gold band on his wrist.

"I told you that it works by gathering information. The more you use it, the better it works!"

Sensing Yusuke's temper further on the rise, Kurama took this moment to hurry in through the door and head to the front of the line, not taking time to look at who he bumped on the way. Instead he merely murmured a quick apology, content with knowing that was something more than would normally be given in this country. Once at the front he flashed the brown haired worker an apologetic smile,

"I'm sorry. I hope these two weren't confusing you too terribly."

"N-n-no. Not a-a-t all! It's my fault!" the girl stammered, face flushing.

"Where've ya been, Kurama? Thought we were going to have to eat with out you!" Yusuke clapped him on the back, speaking in their native tongue, looking visibly nervous.

"I was merely following various energy signatures, as we were assigned. I wasn't aware we were taking a meal break," he replied monotonously.

"Hehe, well you know what they say about working on full stomachs!" Botan said, snapping her fingers.

"Yes. Not to do it."

"Oh." Her hand had retracted to behind her head, rubbing it sheepishly.

"Let's not worry about it. Please let me know what it was you were trying to order. I do believe you have held up this line for quite awhile, if the faces of the other customers are anything to go by." Kurama said with a raised eyebrow, wondering exactly how long the two had been here as the rest of the line truly did look impatient. After they had payed an older man came up behind the girl at the cashier, carrying two cups of coffee and held them out. Before Kurama could protest that he had only ordered one, the man spoke, a large smile crinkling his face.

"Mind bringing this the pretty ginger, at the back of the line? She gets a might feisty if she has to wait too long for her cup o' joe."

Giving a nod and following the direction given, Kurama found himself face to face with said girl. As the man had said, she was pretty, but she fell just short of beautiful with a too angular face and rather straight body. She was perhaps too thin causing not only her lack of curves but also to have a bony appearance, with an overly defined collar bone and hip bones that could be seen jutting from the small space between her pants and top. He could see her hair color wasn't natural by the much darker shade around her hairline. It was a pity she chose to change it. The brownish shade peeking through would probably compliment her fair skin tone much better than the current color, the red shade causing her to look almost washed out instead of porcelain as she should; however, the red did compliment her steel blue eyes, contrasting and making them brighter.

She stood just an inch or so shorter than he and held herself with a sure poise, although she only held his gaze momentarily before looking away. He could sense her slight anxiety before it quickly turned into anger. Though if it was directed at him or herself, he wasn't sure. Holding the polite smile he had put on when heading over, he handed her the coffee taking note of her slender hands and long fingers, a trait he always found attractive in those of the opposite gender, before recognizing a strange energy hovering about her. On her. But yet, it wasn't a part of her and was so faint he could barely sense it.

_How strange._

"I have been told this is for you." Her eyes betraying her confusion, he continued on;

"The man behind the counter asked me to bring this to the 'pretty ginger' at the end of the line."

"Oh. Well that explains it. Tell him I said 'thanks' and give him this," her voice was even, not relaying any of the previous emotions he sensed, and her expression controlled as she held out money to him expectantly. But unbeknownst to her, curiosity had gotten the better of him and he decided to drag out their meeting. To see if he could source the energy, of course.

"You come here often." Kurama stated, approaching conversation in a simple manner.

"Every day," her voice was flat and she was still holding out the money, looking at him with one eyebrow arched.

"Is there anything you would recommend trying? Besides the coffee, of course. " He could feel her annoyance and let himself smile a bit more genuinely. It wasn't often a women tried to get out of talking to him and since he was trying to find out more about that energy anyways...

"Well, it's probably called '_The Crumpet Shop_' for a reason."

"Of course, but there are other items on the menu as well. You must have a-" She cut him off before he could finish.

"Look, sorry but I can't really talk. I'm late for a class. Thanks for bringing me this." She made a slight move to leave but Kurama continued on, sipping his coffee and feigning ignorance to her intentions.

"Class? Are you a student then?"

"No."

"Ah. You must be the teacher then." He paused briefly to take another sip, catching her eyes again.

"What is it you teach?"

She looked ready to snap as she let out a deep sigh, running her free hand through her hair.

"Dance. And you know what? I am seriously late for my class."

At this point he knew he wasn't going to be able to place the energy and that she was completely unaware of it, and of his and Yusuke's and Botan's , and probably everything to do with that sort of thing. In all actuality, she probably had relations with someone who actually had a decent amount of energy and it rubbed off on her a bit. While that in itself was not common occurrence, it was possible and could last for months if it was due to demon energy but as it was, the energy wasn't strong enough to determine if it was demonic or spirit energy.

He briefly contemplated letting her bow out of the rather one way conversation but couldn't help pushing her just a bit more. He blamed his past life's more antagonistic nature,when it came to reluctant females.

"How coincidental, my brothers girlfriend is a dancer. What kind of dance do you teach?" She looked absolutely perplexed with her face flushed and eyes looking at him but through him.

"-a fucking language barrier issue?" she burst out, clearly having not meant to vocalize the thought.

He smirked but quickly schooled his expression into one of confusion.

"Pardon?"

Her eyes snapped into focus, her face turning a much brighter shade of red, she took the bills she was holding and stuffed them into the neck of his shirt before storming away. As she went out the door, Kurama felt Yusuke walk up behind him letting out a whistle before laughing and punching him on the shoulder.

"Kurama you sure have a way with girls!"

"It would appear so," he chuckled in reply as Botan made it to where they were standing, unable to talk due to her mouth being full but eyes glittering in a more devious way. He decided he didn't want to know what idea had made it into her head.

* * *

At his mothers insistence, Kurama attended dinner at the family house at least every other Friday evening. Ideally she would have him come home every week for the entirety of the weekends but knew his schedule to be busy. Plus as a college student, she was sure that he wanted to go out on the town with his friends during any periods of free time. Her logic, not his, and definitely not true. While he definitely enjoyed the freedom living on his own entitled, mainly not having to worry about her waking and finding him gone at all hours of the night for missions and such, keeping her company was much more welcome than the company of his peers. The other young men, that weren't too busy throwing jealous glares at Kurama, tended to want to cast reason to the wind and indulge in much more questionable, and in his opinion mundane, activities . The ladies of his university were, well, far from being ladies. Things hadn't changed much from high school in those regards, with the exception of them growing a tad more bold in their approaches causing him to be more blunt in his rejection of them. He often heard rumors of a new division of his fan club that dedicated their time to devising ways of capturing him, so that they may seek revenge for his rejection of them whilst still fulfilling their dreams of being with him. The words rope, tape, and feathers were often attached to said rumors and he couldn't help but shudder at the suggestive thoughts such materials brought to him. A part of him actually hoped that they would attempt one of their plans. He would very much enjoy turning the tide on them.

Contrary to popular belief, at least within his group of friends, he was not that different from when he lived as a true demon in Makai. At least in regards to his sexuality and personality quirks. He had just become better at hiding them, due to having to hide his demonic self and double life from his mother for so many years. His human body was not in a virgin state and hadn't been for far longer than what most humans probably deemed as morally acceptable. While he wasn't one to seek out actual romantic relationships with humans, be it male or female, he wasn't one to deny himself pleasure when he wanted it. There was no reason to, as he wasn't like true humans and couldn't impregnate someone unless he wished to, and he could easily smell any disease on a person. It wasn't as if he felt need that often, either. Just occasionally and usually when there was a lack in missions to keep him occupied, as it was far too easy to grow bored in his human life routine. Still his newer found sense of privacy kept him from boasting his skill in the bedroom and list of partners when the other men of the group, mainly Yusuke, pestered him to join in on their testosterone induced conversations. His lack of participation only spurred them into thinking he was either a prude or gay. Perhaps both.

His mother also fell prey to that mentality, hinting at her acceptance of him no matter what and often leaving room in their various conversations for him to "come out of the closet." It only had gotten worse now the Suichi was dating a girl openly. Was it three months they had been dating now? The boy was positively infatuated, always bending over backwards to please her.

"So I was able to buy the tickets, and I was really hoping that you wouldn't mind me going...with just her?" Suichi was currently trying to convince his father and Shiori to let him take Yuka, his girlfriend, to a dance competition. Without a guardian, of course. She was an aspiring dancer and had been talking about the competition nonstop since it had been announced a week ago, which Kurama thought was rather short notice for an international event. Suichi had bought tickets with the money he had been saving to buy her a necklace.. or was it a bracelet.., deciding that the competition would win more of her affection than the jewelry.

"I don't know Suichi. It seems like there are going to be a lot of people there..." Hatanaka started.

"And a lot of foreigners!" Shiori finished, her fear of the 'unpredictable' foreigners evident on her face and in her voice. Kurama reached for more pickled renkon with his chopsticks, staying silent, as Suichi groaned in frustration and fell backward from where he knelt at the traditional table.

"Look, I just can't take my parents on this date! Do you know how cool Yuka is going to think I am when I show her the tickets? Telling her that my parents won't let us go with out them is going to ruin everything!" Suichi said, sitting back up to look pleadingly at Shiori who he always dubbed the weakest link, and rightfully so as normally she would give in to make either boy happy. But this was not a normal case. Her prejudice against the foreigners that will be at the competition played on her desire to keep the boy safe and safety outweighed happiness in every mothers mind, every time, without fail.

"I just can't see this as being a good idea, Suichi. Please try to understand," she said softly, looking to her husband for support.

"But-"

"You heard her, squirt. And as far as I am concerned, Shiori's word is final."

"Ugh! This isn't fair! I'm in my second year of high school! I can't believe I have to let mommy and daddy tag along on my dates," he angrily picked at his rice.

Seeing the darkening look on his stepfathers face and the much sadder one gracing his mothers, Kurama thought this a good time to intervene.

"Would it be acceptable if I accompanied him?"

"We couldn't ask you to do that, dear! You're probably already so busy with school..." Shiori trailed off, although her face had brightened at the offer.

"It really wouldn't be a problem. If anything, I could use the distraction from my studies. However, is this acceptable to you Suichi?"

The teenager already had a huge grin on his face.

"Hell-I mean heck- yes! Everyone thinks your so cool, Yuka totally won't mind you coming with," the years hadn't lessened the adoration Suichi felt for Kurama.

"Then it's settled!" Hatanaka announced loudly with a smile, deciding to ignore his sons slip and continuing to eat with gusto as Shiori added more to his dish, her face showing her relief.

After the meal ended and Kurama was preparing to leave, Shiori brought the expected bag of leftovers to him and pulled him into a hug.

"Thank you, Suichi. I know he'll be safe with you," she whispered in his ear before pulling away and gently brushing his bangs away from his eyes. He leaned down and kissed her cheek, flashing her his most dazzling smile before walking out the door.

* * *

It was as Hatanaka and Shiori said, there were a great deal of people and a decent amount were in fact foreigners. Scanning the crowd for any threats, he was once again surprised by the amount of demons in the area. The amount had kept increasing over the last few years, as expected, but it seemed strange to him that such a large number would want to live amongst the humans they so passionately hated. Yet the problems with said demons were few, many did actually live peacefully in the human world. That may be due to the fact that many of the demons that passed through the borders were of lower classes, or in other words, demons that didn't have a long life expectancy in the Makai. Bottom of the food chain, if you will. It was not unlikely that they genuinely relished not having to deal with other demons on a day to day basis, fearing who they might come across next. Speaking of fear, many shied away from Kurama as soon as they sensed him, quickly darting out of the areas he was in. If not because of his reputation , because of his powerful youki. Even veiled it was still stronger in comparison to most other apparitions

Beyond the lesser demons there was one very distinct demonic energy, at least an S-Class, and said demon was sitting in one of the judges chairs talking to another, very human, judge on his left side. His energy seemed familiar but Kurama couldn't place it, at least not at first; however, when a group of performers walked by him he caught sight of someone he had not expected to see again and the two thoughts clicked together. It was _that_ particular demons energy on _that_ "pretty ginger" from Seattle.

"Hmm, that is a strange coincidence," he mused out loud, one hand thoughtfully resting on his chin.

"What is?" Suichi enquired with a look of bafflement at his stepbrothers words.

"I believe I saw an old friend from high school, is all. Would you two mind if I stepped away for a little while? I trust you two can handle yourselves well enough," Kurama said whilst placing a hand on a shoulder of each, using the contact as a way to slip seeds laced with his energy on to their persons. To continue keeping tabs, of course, so he wouldn't have to go against what he told his mother. Suichi smiled and shook his head vigorously in affirmation, barely containing his excitement to be alone with Yuka who was merely smiling sweetly her acceptance of the proposal.

"Thank you both. I shouldn't be long."

"Take your time!" Suichi called loudly after him as Kurama made his way through the crowds scanning for the familiar red head. He quickly spotted her and followed as she ran into what was probably considered "back stage". No one moved to stop him though as he made his way through the various groups of dance teams, maintaining an inconspicuous distance. Shortly after entering the area the girl made it to a spot with more room and began stretching, which was nothing out of the ordinary for someone before a performance but Kurama was growing more and more apprehensive. _That_ girl wasn't the only one with the demons energy on her, there were _others_. Quite a few more, actually. But that wasn't the strangest thing about it. What truly baffled Kurama is that they were all distinctly human lacking any spiritual energy of their own and all from vastly different places in the world, with greatly differing appearances. The only obvious similarities were that they were female and were dancers.

He left the backstage area when the first performance was announced, quickly finding his way back to the high schoolers he was supposed to be accompanying, and sat through the entire competition in his seat by Suichi. Carefully watching the performances and demon judge for signs of ...well... anything. But nothing out of the ordinary took place and by the time the awards were finished being passed out, he noted that the group from Seattle took fourth, his apprehension with the demon and his energy on the girls had dimmed marginally. Not enough to not talk to Koenma about it, though. The whole thing was puzzling and he had long since realized that, more often than not, if things were not clear when powerful demons were involved it was rather foreboding.


	3. Chapter 3

**Authors Note**

Dearest Reader,

There are **two** things I feel I should address before the story progresses further. One being the "fear of foreigners" that Shiori was mentioned having in the last chapter. It should be known that the intent was not that she dislikes or hates foreigners, but rather she is distrustful and apprehensive about them which is a _**very**_ common mind set for woman of her age in Japan. Trust me. Been there, experienced that. Don't worry though, she won't remain ignorant throughout the entire story but for the time being it suits my needs.

The last thing is regarding Yoko and Kurama. I won't bore you with the details of how I interpreted them, if you like you may PM me and I will explain in more depth, but basically I think of them as the same person. Meaning, there is only ONE soul within Kurama which also means there will be no inner dialogue with his "demon self" as with one soul there would only be one thought process. Throughout the story you will see Kurama refer to his true demon form, what most call Yoko, and his human form. The only differences beyond appearance that take place when in his demon form is that he is more open with his emotions, i.e. more ruthless and such. Reason being, if he is in a place where he can revert to his demon form it means that there is no need to hide his true identity, like from his human mother, so there is no need to hide his demon emotions. Long story short, when in his human form Kurama treads carefully to avoid being seen as "inhuman" by those unaware humans around him.

Again, if you have any questions or want me to go into more depth with my explanation, feel free to say so in a review or PM.

Until Next Time,

N. M. M.

* * *

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* * *

_Chapter Three_

He didn't understand why he needed to be here. What was so important the Toddler needed the Detective, the Fox, and himself present? The likely hood of a mission needing all three of their attentions was entirely implausible. Not with how annoyingly peaceful everything was in the three worlds. Whatever it was, he was sure he could handle it himself quickly enough to do another sweep of the borders _and_ be back in time to keep the Fool from trying to breed with Yukina. He overheard that they were supposed to be going on a date later this evening and he had learned years ago what that meant; the sharing of a meal followed by an annoying human entertainment, usually a pointless movie, and then after the couple returns from their outing they engage in acts of mating. Thankfully the Detective had warned him when the Fool and Yukina had started dating and filled him in on what that entails. It's not that he hated the Fool anymore, one could even say he tolerated him. Afterall, spending time with him did make Yukina happy and as such they were free to engage in any other stupid acts of courtship but he drew the line when it came to sexual contact. He'd be damned if he let anyone ruin his sisters innocence. Anyone.

He clenched his fist at the thought before allowing himself to return to his visibly relaxed pose, leaning against the wall and crossing his arms, watching the nervous spirit world leader fidget through half lidded eyes. It was extremely irritating how he always called them to the spirit world and then just sat staring at them, twiddling his thumbs, for an eternity. If he didn't know what he was going to say, why send that obnoxious ferry girl to rush them over and waste their time by waiting for him to collect his thoughts? As if hearing the angry musings of Hiei's mind, Koenma started speaking.

"I'm sure you're all wondering why I called you here," he paused waiting for the normal interruption but receiving nothing other than a glare from the Detective he continued on, "so I'll get right to it! Kurama brought some unsettling news a couple weeks ago and we've been keeping tabs because of it, but the thing is we still lost them anyway. Good news though! We think we know where they are hiding out!"

_'Fox, what the hell is this idiot going on about?'_

_'It would seem that he is skipping over some details,' _Kurama thought in response just as Yusuke verbalized his own befuddlement.

"What the fuck are you talking about Koenma? What were you keeping tabs on and who the hell did you lose? Start making sense and just tell us what you called us here for!" Yusuke growled out, voice raising with each word.

"Er- right! Well you see Yusuke, awhile ago Kurama went to a Dance Competition-"

"You dance, Kurama? Why didn't you tell us? I would have gone to your competition, root you on and all that!" Yusuke interrupted with all traces of anger gone, turning wide eyed to the demon sitting to his right, surprisingly genuine in his confusion and offer.

"No, I merely attended a competition. I escorted Suichi and his girlfriend," Kurama murmured in response.

"Oh. Gotcha! But you know... if you did dance, I really would cheer for you." Yusuke grinned and stretched, placing his hands behind his head.

"I will remember your sentiment," said Kurama, a practiced smile adorning his face. The Detective was clearly an idiot and not convinced that the Fox wasn't actually the one dancing and while that thought was amusing, Hiei was thoroughly annoyed by the interruption. Apparently so was Koenma.

"Would you pay attention Yusuke! This is very important!" the Toddler yelled, having jumped to stand on his desk.

"If it was so damn important, then why didn't you give us all the details from the start Binky Breath!" Yusuke shouted back.

After five minutes of the two morons yelling back and forth, he was just about ready to take off. Thankfully the Fox intervened and Koenma resumed telling them about this "very important case".

"As I was saying, at the competition Kurama noticed that many of the female dancers had a thin veil of a demons energy clinging to them and that demon was one of the judges. Not only that but the last case Kurama and Yusuke were sent on, Kurama ran into one of the same dancers and she had the energy on her even back then-"

_'Didn't you and the Detective already apprehend that demon?' _

"- they were from all different regions of the world -"

_'We did, he was already sentenced . That case and this one are completely unrelated, from what I can tell.'_

_'Hn,'_ at that Hiei turned his attention from the internal conversation with the Fox back to fully listening to the Toddler.

"and since we weren't sure exactly who all had this demons energy clinging to them, or even if it really was something to worry about, I had the Ogre's keep an eye on all those that participated in the competition. And, well, you know how those Ogres are!" Koenma nervously rubbed the back of his head with one hand whilst pulling at his collar with the other, visibly sweating.

"Pretend we didn't," grumbled Yusuke, eyes narrowing. Hiei felt himself doing the same. Koenma gulped and mumbled out something that sounded a lot like the way Hiei normally thought of the ruler, "scatterbrained and incompetent". How Koenma continued to run the Spirit World was beyond his comprehension.

"Anyways, it was brought to my attention a couple days ago that about fifteen girls that had performed that night have gone missing. I would have called you in then but I needed to be sure that these weren't your everyday kidnappings, as you know we can't get involved with those, and I wanted to find out more about the demon we are dealing with."

"Well did you?" asked Yusuke.

"Of course!" Koenma said enthusiastically, seemingly producing a remote out of no where and turning on the large screen used to show footage when needed. As it flickered into focus, the face of the demon in question appeared before zooming out to show his full body. Tall... thin... white hair and purple eyes, Hiei made mental notes of the demons features.

"His name is Hinato, or at least that is what he went by as he was judging. We are unsure of what type of demon he is but Botan thinks that he might be an ice demon due to his appearance. Kurama also said that he is at least an S-Class. While we haven't exactly found where he is hiding out either, we have been getting some strange energy signals from a house in Fukuoka and they started around the time the first girls were reported missing to human world officials!" Koenma stopped talking rather abruptly, looking quite pleased with himself. A long pause filled the room with silence.

"In other words, you know nothing," Hiei said when it was clear nothing more was going to be said, his voice and expression not betraying the actual intrigue he was feeling. It had been awhile since they had any cases shrouded in mystery. Plus, patrolling the borders had grown boring again. Not that it wasn't ever not boring.

"I wouldn't say that! Most likely that house has something to do with this whole thing, " the Toddler defended with a pout.

"You said that the demon went by Hinato at the dance competition but you seem hesitant that it's his real name. Do you not then have record of him passing through the Border? You must have been able to find his application papers, I can't imagine there were that many S-Class apparations approved. And even if he did pass through without permission, you would have been aware when it happened," Kurama said diplomatically, raising an eyebrow in inquiry. The Fox always asked the right questions, Hiei would give him that recognition.

"Um, well. Yes. But that is just it. We _don't_ have record of _any _S-Class demons coming through, except Hiei of course. And there hasn't been any reports of break through beyond what cases I have sent you all on. To top it off, we can't find anything in our files on him either. Not with this name or even description, which means he must not have a record of misdeeds and that is _extremely_ rare for any apparition. We don't know what we're dealing with. Which is why I want all three of you to go check out that house, together!" Koenma pounded his fist on his desk, having long since resumed sitting properly in his chair.

An unknown demon with an unclear motive? How cliché. Well, there better be a decent fight.

* * *

The portal opened not too far from the house in question, a traditional style Japanese mansion on the very outskirts of Fukuoaka surrounded by a dense covering of trees. There were two very distinct smells surrounding it, one being the stench of low class apparitions and the other being the scent of death. Human death. And, as the Toddler had said, there was a strange energy coming from the mansion but even he couldn't tell what kind it was,being neither distinctly demon nor spirit energy. Stranger than the energy itself was the poor attempt at masking it.

"It's almost as if they wanted to be found," the Fox mused out loud, mirroring Hiei's own thoughts. Surely an S-Class demon would know of a better way to hide energy, even human made wards would be less obvious than this. Perhaps it was a decoy. Or perhaps this Hinato was a fool.

"I can't place the energy, but it very vaguely resembles the lingering energy I sensed before. Even so, I suggest we proceed with caution. I'm afraid this might be a trap."

"Took the words right out of my mouth, Kurama." Yusuke said, rubbing his nose with his fist and sniffling in a habitual action that Hiei found rather repulsive.

"Hn," he concurred whilst untying his headband to attempt finding the wanted demon with his Jagan eye. If the demon was there, he was doing a hell of a better job masking his own energy. In the end though, all Hiei could sense was a handful of the demons he had smelled before and 3... humans? He wasn't sure but what he did know was that they were the source of the strange energy coming from the place.

_'What does your Jagan see?' _Kurama glanced sideways at him.

'_Demons that will pose useless opposition and three, possibly, humans.'_

_'Possibly humans?'_

Not completely knowing and not particularly caring to try, Hiei ignored the question and started for the house, followed shortly by the Fox. He was ready to get this over with. If there weren't any other demons here then this was a waste of his time afterall. A trap would be a nice alternative, even if the other two would disagree.

"Wait up Hiei! Kurama!" called Yusuke who quickly sprinted after them.

Hiei took out the guards, if they could be called that, as he came across them. Most couldn't even sense him before he was upon them and as such were unable to provide any resistance, their blood spilling on the floor boards and tatami mats and splashing on the unadorned walls. By the time he reached the room where the could-be-humans were he had disposed of all of the lowly apparitions. The Fox would probably scold him later for not leaving even one alive for questioning but he honestly doubted that these pathetic minions would have been able to offer any useful information anyways.

"What happened to proceeding with caution!" the Detective yelled when he caught up, rubbing his shoe on the floor to try and clean off the blood he had accidentally stepped in, nose wrinkled in disgust and curses streaming from his mouth. Hiei ignored him, instead moving to open the large metal door that looked out of place amongst the other shoji doors, a prominent feature in this style of house. As he sliced through the locks and kicked the door down in one smooth motion, Kurama and Yusuke fell into practiced stances, ready for whatever was on the other side. A green light illuminated their faces, the sounds of bubbling water and whirling of machines echoed in the silence, and if he was prone to throwing fits he would have. How anti-climatic.

The room looked to be a sort of medical laboratory, full of shiny metal devices and test tubes filled with unidentifiable chemicals and three large tanks. In each tank was a woman floating in the green liquid that was casting the eerie glow, the only similarities between them being the masks they wore for breathing and their lack of clothing. Irritation over the lack of combat kept him from otherwise, what would have been discreetly and silently, appreciating the view the three offered; however, the Detective had no qualms with letting _his_ appreciation known and let out a long whistle.

"Yusuke, I hardly think this is an appropriate time to be ogling." Kurama scolded pulling out his communicator after he quickly assessed the situation and deemed there no danger, calling in their findings.

"It's not every day you get a free show! Plus, I'm sure they won't know that we took a peak when they get out of those," Yusuke shrugged but the Fox was too busy talking with the Toddler to answer. Hopefully Koenma will send others to deal with moving the girls to Spirit World which is undoubtedly where they were destined to go. Hiei didn't want to miss monitoring Yukina's date with the Fool for this boring mission. That was unacceptable. He walked over to one of the tanks with his hands in his pants pockets and looked up at the floating figure, her red hair looking like a crown of flames as it swirled around her. As if sensing his stare, her eyes opened briefly before fluttering closed. Shrugging he turned and leaned against the glass, crossing his arms and closing his eyes, seeming to be patiently waiting for their next orders.

End of Chapter Three!

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